Sarah Wakefield graduated from OSU in 2005 with a major in History with a concentration in Military History and a minor in Italian. Her first job after college was working in an administrative role for a non-profit. After two years she came to work at OSU in a finance role, and over the years she has had various administrative and managerial positions. In 2014, while working full-time at OSU, she completed her Masters degree in Human Resources, and in 2020 she took her current role as Manager of the HR Employee Administration Team.
When asked how she thought her major in history contributed to her career path, she noted that she decided not to pursue a career in the field of history because she was not interested in specializing. Per her decision, “I wanted my studies to complement me as a person, to inform me and to educate me – to give me the global and historical perspective that my peers were missing out on.” She had grown up in a small town, but her history major taught her that there is so much to learn about the world. She realized this could give her additional depth and potentially a leg up against all those vying for the same jobs. The Military History concentration in particular taught her the importance of working with diverse people under stressful situations, and that well-rounded strategies and successful plans of action are not formed in silos. Along with that, she learned that efforts only succeed when people come together. “We do so much damage to ourselves when we live in disharmony or ignore those who think differently. Successful teams are built on diversity of thought and a common goal.” So for her, managing teams at OSU throughout the years has been crafted by incorporating different perspectives but concentrating them on an ultimate goal.
She chose a Minor in Italian because she considered how the Roman republic had conquered so many places and thought, “If I jump on that train, I’m going to learn a lot”. While none in her family had ever learned a foreign language, she viewed it as an opportunity to add another element to her character, which would then hopefully broaden her career options. She pointed out that struggling to learn a new language gave her empathy for non-native English speakers which in turn helped her broaden her global perspective. As she progressed, she learned new communication skills because she could not operate as she does in her native language, so she had to think carefully about what she wanted to say in order to be effective. “You know that blank stare that people get when you’ve been talking too much and saying nothing? Italian taught me to think and be succinct. Not only do your friends and family appreciate that, but it is imperative in your career. Italian indirectly helped expand my own English vocabulary!”
Despite never having been on a plane, she decided to study abroad as a complement to her Italian minor. She chose to study in Rome for two months and then travel Western Europe with her roommate for two weeks after the program. This trip enhanced her sense of wonder and taught her resilience, as she decided to immerse herself as much as she felt comfortable in something that was completely foreign. She explained: “I only have one life. I can spend it sitting in Ohio…and that would be my life. But I had seen enough older people that had not done anything and plenty of people who had. So I wanted adventure, I wanted more, and I wasn’t going to be content knowing that this whole world is out there and I am only getting a fraction of fraction. I’m richer in character because I have surrounded myself with people who are unlike me. People remember your character; interviewers remember your character.”
